


Goodbye Nostalgia

by DatSonyat



Series: Those Who Remain [1]
Category: Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Guild Splinter, Bad Flirting, Banter, Bittersweet Ending, Brief mention of Amon, Crack Treated Seriously, Established friendships, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Gen, Implied Ulbert/Demiurge, Light Angst, Repost because I love these three way too much, if they even realize it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26906773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DatSonyat/pseuds/DatSonyat
Summary: Thrust into a new world—from rags to riches, mortals to gods—those who remain wage war on a new continent fraught with numerous clan and guilds. All of whom want to see them dead, of course.So how did get Takemikazuchi become the protagonist and glorified babysitter of his pyromaniac and kleptomaniac friends whilst searching for their missing comrades? Ah, responsibility. And he wouldn't have it, or his friends, any other way.[Originally written and published late 2018.]
Relationships: Supreme Beings & NPCs
Series: Those Who Remain [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963231
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Goodbye Nostalgia

**Author's Note:**

> ApocalypticRomantic says it's good enough to repost, so reposting with slight tweaks. 😂💖 I miss these silly guys and the huge, ridiculous AU they existed in so much.

Uncomfortable silence permeated the scorched wasteland, brief crackles of dying flame and the clanking footfalls of a grim warrior swiftly marching away from the carnage its meager respite.

Nothing, no matter how unfortunate, would dispel Ulbert’s imperious, utterly offended glare. He shifted, bordering on struggle which would surely lead to at least one of them being set ablaze, in an attempt to free himself from the iron grip crushing him.

“Put me down,” he commanded, each acidic word punctuated by a harsh stab of his index finger.

Literally, thanks to his razor-taloned gloves. One such as Ulbert Alain Odle simply did not poke, “how _unrefined.”_

“Ow,” Takemikazuchi muttered after the final jab, lamenting his lack of helmet, though Ulbert’s _l_ _oving nudges_ weren’t enough to do him any real harm. “And _no_ ,” he raised his voice, disbelieving and authoritative, “I was gone for less than five minutes and the two of you BLEW UP—“

From his place tucked safely under Takemikazuchi’s arm—both for his own sake and the world at large—Nishikienrai dissolved into maniacal _giggles_ , of all things. The ninja murmured something Takemikazuchi couldn’t catch, driving him to transition into outright cackling.

Ulbert snarled something about disrespect and what sounded far too much like “shitty roleplaying angels.” Heat began to roll off of him in waves, the temperature around them rapidly rising as one of his passives grew in tandem with his rage. The barest hints of infernal fire licked at his form and spread outwards.

Well.

Takemikazuchi wasn’t willing to have this argument today and wordlessly hoisted the angry demon up onto his large right shoulder, where he could sit unrestrained and relatively untouched unless he decided otherwise.

“You’re right, grandest devil of _all_ catastrophe,” he conceded, unprompted and laying on the saccharine charm. “Sorry about the…” Takemikazuchi paused and shook his head, unsure what to call it, not wanting for a second to provoke Ulbert’s mercurial wrath, "undignified embrace, but really?” He used Nishikienrai to gesture at the wreckage behind them as they entered the singed treeline, any tinges of guilt flitting through him thoroughly quashed when he looked back at it.

Nishikienrai’s continued laughter didn’t help their cause.

“You are unequivocally _terrible_ . Yes, really.” Ulbert cast him another cold glower through an unintentional snort. His visible yellow eye remained narrowed in displeasure, though he thawed a fraction at the term of endearment, backs of his claws gliding down the metallic plates of Takemikazuchi’s shorter horn. “I want these fools _purged_ from _my_ empire. Clans and _three_ separate guilds, three—“ He trailed off into quieter, incoherent growling. Hands returned to himself, he smoothed his shiny, grey fur down from its dishevelled state and righted his uneven hat, all of his elegant, methodical movements contradictory to his sour mood.

Watching him, it was painfully obvious where Hades had picked up the habit, or it was just another innate inheritance from creator to NPC? What would Cocytus have picked up from him—?

Ah, too depressing and best left in the past, he supposed, cutting off that line of thought and returning to his friends’ seemingly unstoppable desire— _hunger_ —for indiscriminate destruction.

Ulbert was understandable and generally expected in many ways—as expected as his skewed moral compass, maybe. _Maybe._ One-note or single-minded Ulbert was not—far from it. Cunning, shrewd, tactical with his cruelty, frighteningly perceptive through his own hard-earned skills, with a natural charisma other rulers feebly strove for. His particular brand of… compassion and “justice” held a certain method to its madness, one Takemikazuchi rarely found reason to disagree with. Ulbert was their de facto—possibly interim—guildmaster for compelling reasons.

Nishikienrai was a different story. At his core, he retained being the adventurous risk-taker, something Takemikazuchi was glad they shared through everything. They still shared many similar traits, but Nishikienrai’s curiosity had grown along with how far he was willing to push to achieve his thrills and victories. Some of his much needed cautiousness had evaporated, and it wasn’t as though he’d become arrogant rather than so overwhelmingly powerful, so insightful and certain of victory that caution and fear were rendered obsolete.

Takemikazuchi could only try to guide his friends while struggling with many of the same feelings himself. What separated him and Nishikienrai the most was what he’d expected of Ulbert—and been proven wrong more than once.

The surprising sheer animosity for the lesser races that nearly rivalled the majority of their NPCs’ contempt and hatred, and his thirst for wide-scale ruin Nishikienrai gleefully cheered Ulbert on about, or the brutal ways he chose to deal with other Players. If Takemikazuchi recalled correctly, Nishikienrai’s karma value had been low, too, but it didn’t seem to affect them the way their races did—although they’d yet to figure out the exact determining factors on what influenced them.

He held complete faith they would.

They kept each other in line, cared for one another as family might. They weren’t alone, and that needed to be enough while they learned and grew into what the NPCs already thought them to be.

“’Fucking angels, get the fuck off my godsdamn continent,’” Nishikienrai wheezed out between heaves of mad laughter, air-quoting enough to finally answer Takemikazuchi’s silent question of, _“What the hell happened, you two?”_

Ulbert crossed his arms and scowled while the demonic, four-fingered red and black velvet ‘hands’ that extended from the back of his cloak furiously whipped open in an exasperated shrug. “The first time in a week the Guardians ‘allow’ us to do something alone and these“—he made a terrifying noise, both low and high-pitched when he couldn’t decide on a suitable insult—“decided to ruin my day?” He inclined his head down at them, horizontal pupils contracting to sharp slits. “No.” Ulbert’s face contorted into a sneer. “Worthy of the highest punishment, I say. They died far too easily. We should’ve increased their suffering hundred-fold,” he spat, tossing his cloak over his shoulders in a dramatic flourish, almost hitting his sentient throne in the face.

Without thought, Takemikazuchi adjusted his right arm for Ulbert to perch his golden hooves on. He hardly needed a proper throne to appear the regal king the NPCs worshipped him as.

Nishikienrai laughed again, and there was nothing kind nor humourous about it. “Yeah, who did they think they were sneaking up on? What a joke. It wasn’t even an entertaining fight. Their levels didn’t matter, not with _those_ garbage builds. They’re just begging us to kill their NPCs.” He scoffed and tapped Takemikazuchi, signalling to let him go.

NPCs, then, not that it made what the two had done any better, whittling another guild’s gold down aside. Super-Tier on lower level NPCs was absolute overkill when their goals remained 1: staying hidden, and 2: “not living in a horrific hellscape of Ulbert’s (potentially unintentional) making.”

…At least Acheron and Damien now possessed their own comfortably hellish vacation spot. Like hell they were wasting a World Item fixing _that_ volcanic disaster site.

“Less than five minutes,” Takemikazuchi tried to deadpan, unable to keep the humour out of his words any longer. “Seriously, you guys can’t keep doing this type of thing when we’re alone. The NPCs barely agree with letting us out of their sight as is.” He released Nishikienrai and wasn’t surprised in the least when the lithe man anchored his ankles around his armour and flipped himself upside-down in a fluid, acrobatic trick, settling in a dynamic yet hilarious pose, arms hanging gracefully.

How the two of them managed to do it, Takemikazuchi would never know. He kept his natural grace for the battlefield and reserved his poise for Irkalla, not that their NPCs would ever comment in the negative.

(Except they’d created multiple with the express intent to challenge their orders, their thought processes, so that the mistakes of the past would never reoccur.

Would they pay for that, one day?)

“Oh, come on, Take-yan!” Nishikienrai playfully slapped the armour covering his thigh, as if to scold him. “They tried messing up our Supreme Beings’ Day Out!” He placed one hand over his heart, the other coming to rest over his mask’s eyeholes, pretending to be grief-filled, the act completely destroyed by the wickedness in his voice. “Had to be done, had to be us!”

Takemikazuchi chuckled. “Someone else might’ve gotten it wrong?” He swung his left arm, amused by Nishikienrai’s genuine laughter at the action.

Ulbert nodded sagely, combing his lengthy claws through his beard. “Exactly so,” he agreed, his left length of four-fingered hand patting his living seat on the head. Once one of their moods lifted, he tended to follow suit.

Perhaps it was selfish of him, but it brought Takemikazuchi relief and a measure of comfort regardless. Ulbert had known more pain than the two of them combined, had shouldered a burden on their behalf and all of the others who’d once asked so much of him. That he still trusted them enough, still felt that depth of camaraderie with them… His friend deserved to smile again, and no doubt existed in his mind that he and the rest of the guild would do all they could to ensure he could.

“Sir Guildmaster, has anyone ever told you you’re a true master of condescension?”

“Ha! Perfected an art form beyond your simple mind, have I?” Ulbert grinned, showing off rows of fangs. “Flattery will get you everywhere, o humble samurai.”

Nishikienrai grinned in turn, happily swinging back and forth. “Crisis averted!” he chirped, ignoring the flat stare sent his way. “We should definitely head over to—“

“My lords!” a deep, metallic voice bellowed through the vaguely smoking forest, equal parts worry and excitement.

“Oops,” Nishikienrai said, going limp as Ulbert briefly sank the unmasked portion of his face into his left hand, elbow situated on top of Takemikazuchi’s head, who resigned himself to their fate.

The ground quaked and trees shook with increasing violence as the footsteps drew nearer, until at last Acheron burst from the surrounding foliage in all his crimson, fiery glory, subsequently annihilating all around him in an inferno of raw hellfire. Striking red flames and steam surged from within his heavy armour’s crevices and eyeholes when he laid eyes, so to speak, on his cherished Supreme Beings, oversized axe in-hand and at the ready.

“My lords,” Acheron greeted in a graver tone, his joy evident in the fire he primarily used to express his emotions, bowing to the three. “I am fully aware you wished to be alone for the remainder of the day,” he paused, flames stuttering in nervousness, “however, Faust was quite certain you were facing some manner of danger.” Any apprehension he held for going to his masters’ sides before the designated time disappeared from his demeanour as he scanned the terrain for threats, head moving from side to side, the flames serving as his eyes gliding with his deliberately slow motions.

Ulbert took the initiative to answer, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. “I would not grant pathetic refuse the likes of them the honour of being considered a danger,” he drawled, the perfect picture of nonchalant, his polished smile so charming Takemikazuchi was certain his creation would’ve spontaneously combusted were he any other race. “Simplistic angels, Acheron, nothing more.”

“They might’ve sunk lower than common trash,” Nishikienrai remarked with casual, almost cheerful cruelty, drumming his fingers against Takemikazuchi’s armour.

“A shame I failed to witness it,” Takemikazuchi added for Acheron’s sake, amused by Ulbert’s insulted, near inaudible huff.

Acheron smiled widely, though the tension and undercurrent of seething fury emanating from him didn’t go unnoticed. “As expected of my ever gracious and sublime lords. Any death given by you is an honour too great. Please do not sully your divine hands on the undeserving—allow us to dispatch their ilk next time.” His axe glinted as the sunlight struck it in silent agreement.

The three shared a knowing look, as best as Nishikienrai could manage from his position, at least. How could they respond negatively to such pure and heartfelt intentions? These little trips helped their sanity, but at cost to the NPCs’ own mental health. A balance needed to be found sooner than later.

(But Amon and the others needed to be found sooner than later, as well.)

Takemikazuchi couldn’t deny his creation and nodded at him in recognition, earning a deeper bow in return. “Your request has been heard. Accompany us and deal with any foolish enough to dare,” he ordered, to Acheron’s visible delight. He preferred asking, honestly, but they were unfortunately far from the NPCs accepting “rewards unjustly bestowed upon them.”

“Thank you, Lord Warri—Lord Takemikazuchi, for hearing me on behalf of all of Irkalla,” Acheron passionately proclaimed, kneeling to genuflect. “Thank you for allowing me the honour of protecting you, Lord Ulbert, Lord Nishikienrai.”

Ulbert bade him rise. “What poor rulers we would be to neglect the needs and wishes of our subordinates,” he spoke as the finest learned monarch, like he’d been born for this purpose alone. Ulbert’s expression took on a sly edge and he asked, “And Hades had no hand in your arrival?” 

Acheron dipped his head, unwilling to lie when he was more than able. “As Area Guardian of the Core, Hades has a hand in everything,” he replied with utter sincerity, if not a tad wryly at the thought of the Supreme Ones’ most powerful, personal creation. “His concern for you is especially high when you insist on journeying alone, Lord Ulbert, as is Vergil’s.” _As Envy and Dante’s are when Lord Nishikienrai does, and mine when Lord Wa—Lord Takemikazuchi does_ went unsaid.

“Yet alone I am not,” Ulbert countered, smirking, both of his ‘right hands’ softly sweeping outwards in a welcoming gesture.

Acheron rumbled with understanding. “Such coyness, my lord. I am unworthy of it. I chose my words poorly. Your comrades are always with you, of course.” The Lord of the Infernal Chasm bowed once more, an appropriate and uncharacteristic shyness playing across his features in a show of fire and gleaming metal. “Belatedly, to my immense horror, you have my deepest apologies for insinuating you are not capable of complete victory, and for what must have sounded like disregard to Lord Nishikienrai and my most honourable master,” Acheron said, mournful, voice lowering in shame, and his flames extinguished with it. “I will accept whatever punishment you deem—“

“Ash!” Nishikienrai interjected before Takemikazuchi or Ulbert got a word in edgewise, sounding far more scandalized than he likely intended. “We’ve spoken about this, have we not? You will _not_ be punished for caring for us.”

“Indeed,” Ulbert declared, his decision clear. “We ask for much when we wish to travel with no guard detail.”

Acheron stood ramrod straight, the movement quicksilver for one his size, a hand clasped over his heart in reverence. “You are our supreme rulers, those who hold the highest authority in this reality,” he spoke with solemnity, reciting a sacred oath to those who were as gods. “We should be able to grant all that you desire, yet…” The knight sucked in what would’ve been a pained breath had he needed it to live, oxygen converting into sad flames orbiting his helm.

“Ash,” Takemikazuchi sighed the nickname that guildmates who were no longer here had mistakenly given the Guardian with their constant mispronunciation. “You know one of the core purposes I created you to fulfill. That is?”

The warm summer bordering on autumn breeze swept through the blazing clearing, carrying ashes and smoke with it. The awkwardness was palpable.

Acheron shifted in discomfort. He knew—he knew it was within his power to lie, act, defy, _disobey_ , but never had he done so, never had the desire to commit the most grievous of sins. 

“To cover your… blind spots,” he forced out, the words themselves the highest form of sacrilege in his view. “To… correct your… mistakes, to grant your esteemed magnificence clarity should you find yourself too close to a… situation, or… _lost_.” It wasn’t possible for Acheron to be ill. He sounded deeply unwell as he finished all the same, flames gone a pale, sickly pink in place of the ruby red that often entranced others.

They withheld a collective grimace at the sight. Only time would tell if the specifications in their settings would allow them to transform into totally independent beings capable of operating without a “higher authority” or hinder them as it appeared they currently were.

First he’d lost—no, abandoned might be more accurate—Cocytus, and now he’d effectively crippled his second Floor Guardian with settings that were in direct conflict with his very existence. To say he felt guilty was an understatement, but time for self-pity there wasn’t, nor was he the sort to wallow in failure.

Revolution and evolution, as Ulbert frequently said. Going forward, moving towards whatever future they meant to shape was not merely a want, but a necessity.

“Very good, Acheron.” The praise caught his NPC’s rapt attention, and he noted how his flames immediately took on a healthier colour. “I— _we_ know how difficult it is for you to repeat that. We’ll work together to rectify that, yes?”

Acheron stared at them, overcome with a myriad of emotions, before realizing his error. “Forgive my disrespectful silence, my beloved Supreme Beings. Your dedication and kindness for us is unmatched and we will forever strive to be worthy of receiving all that you so generously give. I thank you and love you with all that I am, and will serve you faithfully for eternity.” Flames poured from his faceplate in what constituted as tears, if the throaty, tremulous hitches in his voice were any indication.

Whatever façade he held, whatever sincere good will and contentment Ulbert felt ground to a halt, the air changing with him. His eyes hardened and Takemikazuchi _heard_ his pointed teeth gnashing, jaw grinding. Words weren’t needed between them to understand why.

This… this wasn’t good, Takemikazuchi thought, an indolent, ever-growing rage crawling through his veins.

 _You will be remembered for eternity,_ the NPCs said, their promise of love unmistakable and untainted, and the Supreme One’s disturbing reaction had left them panicked and desperate, grovelling for unnecessary forgiveness.

 _No, you will_ **_always_ ** _be a memory,_ that foul person had said, carving their malice into all who heard.

Wind danced around them and it should’ve burned hotter with Ulbert’s roiling passive. Takemikazuchi and Nishikienrai knew where their friend’s mind went without fail.

As he once said so many years ago, _"_ _You son of a bitch.”_

Cold. To Takemikazuchi, it only felt cold. 

Acheron raised his head at the sudden change, worried. “Have I—“

“Good grief, Ash,” Nishikienrai demanded his attention in his calm, casual way, the sharpness in his call enough to draw the Guardian’s eyes to him. “This isn’t exactly fair, is it?” He pointed up at Takemikazuchi specifically.

Acheron looked at them, keen and calculating, gaze coming to rest on the elevated, stone-faced Ulbert when he understood his lord’s intent. He gasped so loudly and with such horror at his perceived indecorum it was comical in its seriousness, breaking Ulbert out of his nightmarish trance.

“Hm?” he hummed, distracted, hopefully in a better way, tilting his head down to look at the man carrying him. “I’d call it unfair if this“—he cut off his barb on instinct—“my dear, sweet _Take_ hadn’t cradled me with such splendid care and delicacy.” His eye rolled, benign glare making its way back to his face.

Sarcasm. Good. Nishikienrai flashed a covert victory sign before adopting a more ludicrous upside-down pose.

Also good that Acheron had yet to fully comprehend his sarcasm, for his axe disappeared in a flash of blue as he approached them.

“Lord War—Lord Takemikazuchi! How dare I not notice sooner? I cannot allow this!” he exclaimed, dropping to a crouch at his master’s feet. “Lord Ulbert is truly brilliant to use another Supreme Being as his throne, and you are selfless and an inspiration in your friendship with him and Lord Nishikienrai to carry them with care as Lord Ulbert said!”

“…You’ve understood my intent completely,” Ulbert grit the neutral, diplomatic words out, torn between bemusement and a hopeless hilarity. He understood what came next. Nishikienrai shook finely with hysterical laughter he held in, and Takemikazuchi swallowed every sigh and _why_ to a god he didn’t believe in. If it helped Ulbert, he would do it time and time again—and he was starting to agree Nishikienrai was as cursed and lawless a heathen as Ulbert endlessly accused him of.

“I cannot allow you to walk in this situation, Lord Takemikazuchi!” Acheron stated, dead serious, and picked him up effortlessly, the motion seamless as he seated his creator on top of his massive shoulders. His sheer size made his ‘seat’ comfortable enough, and Acheron lowered his flames and passives the most he was able to keep his masters completely unharmed, only pleasantly warm.

Nishikienrai let go of Takemikazuchi’s shoulder to hang on to Acheron’s bulky arm, pleased to have another walking, talking climbing wall. “We should do this again,” he managed through repressed snickers, resting in the crook of Acheron’s arm, stretching out to fully enjoy it.

“Tall thrones have quite an aesthetic appeal,” Ulbert gave in, the beginnings of another smirk tugging at his mouth. He rearranged himself on top of Takemikazuchi’s shoulder, nary a hair out of place or a wrinkle in his flowing robes and cloak. He really needed to have the highest seat, vain chuuni that he was… but it was part of his personality and the two of them would be dead before they saw it taken away.

“It’s not bad. It’s not bad at all,” Takemikazuchi decided in spite of the loss of dignity, grinning himself when Acheron rumbled in joy at the firm head pat he delivered.

Wait, did Acheron just drop the Warrior prefix after all th—?

“Our destination, my lords?” he queried, full of innocent pleasure and smugness at carrying not one, but _three_ of the Supreme Beings.

Ulbert tapped his chin, contemplative, claws catching the light of the setting sun. “Shall we watch the sunset, gentlemen?” he asked, the question rhetorical, mind already made up and an air of ease settling over him.

“Free of pests, please.” Nishikienrai gave a thumbs-up, to which Acheron replied in the affirmative.

“Sounds like plan,” Takemikazuchi agreed with them, grip tightening around Ulbert’s calves, keeping his forearm in place as a glorified footrest. “This world’s sky is breathtaking,” he murmured to himself, gazing up at it through the trees.

Acheron, ever-vigilant, answered without missing a beat, “If my lord wishes it, we will work to give it to you.”

“I held the most beautiful jewels in existence, once,” Ulbert said, wistful, following Takemikazuchi’s eyes into the sky, where the stars began to shimmer into existence one after another as the sun slowly descended into the horizon. “I doubt I’ll ever see them again. These might come close enough…”

Lounging in Acheron’s arm, Nishikienrai clicked his tongue, craning in an effort to reach Ulbert. “If they won’t remind you too much of him… If you really want them, [Fly] won’t be good enough. Do you…?” he asked, unable to finish, caught up in concern for his friend and awed excitement at what they planned to do. 

“Yes, may this universe be ours,” Ulbert replied without hesitation, eyes glowing with ambition. “I want _all_ the stars in the sky.”

“Flying fortress would be nice,” Takemikazuchi continued for him, distracted but smiling nonetheless. The stars reminded him of someone, too, someone he dearly wished to meet, even if it was just once more.

_Are we looking at the same sky, Cocytus? Are you here?  
_

“Then my lords will have it all,” Acheron vowed, knowing there would always be one thing beyond his reach, one thing he could never give his master.

Giving them the cosmos would have to do.

* * *

Cocytus turned away from the lizardmen abruptly, looking up into the sky glittering with stars. Empty, why did everything suddenly feel…?

“What. An. Odd. Sensation,” Cocytus said to himself, ignoring the startled lizardmen. He could not bring himself to look away.

The same emptiness answered him, a gentle tug at the core of his being.

What a strange melancholy.

**Author's Note:**

> I said I'd keep Those Who Remain private forever. I met someone awesome who enjoyed it and opened me to challenging that mindset, and I was left to contend with myself. 
> 
> Do I think this is good writing? Pfft hell no, hahaha! It's an utter shitshow between third person limited and omniscient among countless other issues. Was it an absolute joy at the time? Hell yes! Do I still laugh and love rereading this? Absolutely. Their story has built and built into something I will never be able to turn into a full-fledged fanfiction, but my god, do I love what I've done no matter if the world never sees it. Will I ever repost the Momonga reflection chapter that explains how this all came to be? Probably not. That one still hurts my heart every time I reread it. 
> 
> I'm sure people wondered wtf back in the day at Acheron's inability to drop Warrior from Takemikazuchi's name, but it's honestly a stupid as hell running gag that I may or may not keep going among the other NPCs in this series like originally intended in 2018. 😂 
> 
> Other info: Currently working on a Big Ulbert/Demi Smut Project I'm hoping to finish over the weekend, but who knows with my health anymore. And All Falls to Ash is being redone and rewritten. That unfortunately may take longer than expected because it'd be a huge plot change if I decide to roll with it. I can never promise amazing writing or badass updates the way so many in this section can, but I can promise you I haven't given up and will be around providing random or gift smut if nothing else works out. Thank you to anyone who reads, no matter what part of the journey you come from. You are all appreciated. 💖💖💖


End file.
